


Aftermath

by Cheree_Cargill



Series: The Castaways [7]
Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Consensual Sex, F/M, Injury, Pets, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Survival Training, Vacation, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 07:08:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23467384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheree_Cargill/pseuds/Cheree_Cargill
Summary: Following the earthquake, everyone is jittery and stressed out.  Spock decides that Christine badly needs a getaway and takes her to a special place for a second honeymoon.  Meanwhile, Sapel concludes that his little brother Soran has got to be trained in survival and so takes him on a foot trip to the next colony, Beta, in order to work with him on how to survive on Avalon.  And Jenny undergoes another kind of passage into womanhood.
Relationships: Christine Chapel/Spock
Series: The Castaways [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1187033
Comments: 20
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: The Star Trek characters are the property of Paramount Studios, Inc. The story contents are the creation and property of Cheree Cargill and is copyright (c) 2019 by Cheree Cargill. This story is Rated R.

Christine couldn't breathe, a crushing weight on her back and shoulders. She was lying on something warm and firm, smelling blood and the aftermath of birth. The world was going crazy, shaking and roaring, the air full of choking stuff like snow, only it wasn't snow. Lights flickered off and on, instruments crashed and broke, people screamed. One of them was herself when she managed to draw oxygen into her lungs.

Then it all stopped except that she knew she was going to die. She cried and called and struggled, panic taking her as she squirmed to free herself.

Then arms were around her, drawing her close to a strong body that was too warm but still familiar. Large hands were pressing her against that body, stroking her hair and whispering words – were they spoken aloud or in her mind? – of comfort.

"It's all right, _t'hyla_ ," the words said in an oh-so-familiar baritone. "You are safe now. It was only a dream."

Waking fully, she found herself clutching her husband's body, holding him desperately, tears streaming down her face. He let her cry for a while, then gently pushed her away from him to peer into her face. Still sniffling, Christine wiped her face with the heel of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Spock," she murmured. "I'm sorry I woke you." Gulping, Christine saw that it was night and they were in their bed and all was well. She could hear night birds calling softly out on the meadows and even farther away the sounds of the plains animals in their evening hunts.

Spock stroked her cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for, _ashayam_ ," he answered. "Such nightmares are to be expected after what you have been through."

Christine rolled over onto her back with a sigh. "I didn't expect it to affect me this way. I'm a professional and goodness knows I've been through worse on the ship and during our exile. Why am I still dreaming things like this?"

"That I cannot tell you," Spock answered, still on his side facing her. "I suspect that a lifetime of trauma simply caught up with you during the earthquake and overloaded your nerves. Your Human brain couldn't process anymore."

She nodded and sniffed. "There have been all kinds of names for it. Shell shock. Post traumatic stress disorder. Space crazies. But I'm not supposed to get it. I'm supposed to help others with it."

"And you have," he answered. "But sometimes the physician needs healing, too." Spock trailed his fingers along her face again. "Go back to sleep. I will be here beside you if you need me."

She turned her head to look at him, her expression still distressed. "I _do_ need you, Spock. All the time." Snuggling against him once more, she was silent for a moment then murmured, "Oh, Spock, did we make a colossal mistake in coming back here? There used to be something called the Stockholm Syndrome, where a person held hostage began to love her captor. Is that what happened to me? We were here so long that I began to love this place and wanted to come back?"

"I don't know, _t'hyla_. We were here for twelve years and came to terms with the conditions," Spock responded softly. "But there is no true safety anywhere. Even on Earth or Vulcan, there are inherent dangers that one must live with. At least we are not alone here now and our children have the freedom to live without undue restraints. And so do we. It's why we made our decision to return and help develop this colony and the planet."

She nodded and sighed. "And now we've trapped ourselves just as surely as if we'd stayed on Vulcan. We both have responsibilities and the kids to raise and leadership roles to fulfill. And Avalon is still trying to kill us."

He smiled and pulled her closer, loving the feel of her body against his. "But do you remember what you said once? That the Romulans had stranded us here to die, but that you would not oblige them by doing so? Just think of that now."

"You're right, darling. I'd forgotten that." She looked up into his face, so close to hers. "I've gotten soft, haven't I?"

He made a little moaning sound in agreement. "The best kind of softness," he whispered and bent to bring his mouth down on hers. Her lips parted to welcome his tongue and returned the kiss full force.

She felt movement against her thigh and chuckled as she lifted her leg over his, wriggling against him. "The best kind of hardness, too," she smiled.

He rolled her over onto her back and settled against her, enfolding her in his arms. Soon, the quake that shook their bed was of their own making.

* * *

Sapel became aware of the house trembling but it didn't really awaken him. His subconscious had long since identified the various alarms that his brain alerted to. He turned over onto his side and went back to sleep. But in a few minutes a different kind of shaking brought him back to wakefulness.

Opening his eyes, his Vulcan night vision focused on a small face close to his. "Waddaya wan', Soran?" he mumbled.

"Earthquake!" his little brother whimpered, tears of panic rolling down his cheeks.

"That wasn't an earthquake," Sapel murmured back, closing his eyes again. "That was the colony transport coming in for a landing. Go back to bed."

"I wanna sleep with you," the little boy insisted. "I got scared!"

Sapel sighed and pulled back the covers. He was tired and just wanted to return to sleep. He felt the bed sag and a warm little body squirm against his, then settle down. The young man sighed again, part of his brain now awake. This was the third time Soran had come to him, begging to get into his bed. Something had to be done about this.

Sapel began to think. He had become concerned by his little brother's timidity. Perhaps it was because Soran had been born on Vulcan and spent his formative early years in a highly urbanized civilization. Sapel, on the other hand, had been born and raised here on Avalon, had followed his parents as they struggled to survive and find food and shelter. He had been attacked by a sea monster when he was younger than Soran, had trudged countless miles across the prairies and hills, had single-handedly fought Cardassian pirates during his _kahs'wan_ , had been captured by warring Lemurians, had survived numerous natural disasters. He was fully acclimated to this planet and its dangers.

A thought struck him. Soran was now eight years old and had never undergone his _kahs'wan_. He should have done so during Spock's recent _pon farr_. The seven year cycle was inherent in Vulcans. Sapel seriously doubted Soran could survive the manhood trial. The boy simply had no survival training. The product of Spock's next to last _pon farr_ , Soran and his twin sister, T'Larin, had been babied by their mother. She had known that she would bear no more children and had coddled her two little ones, keeping them safe. As long as they lived on Vulcan, that might have been sufficient but the move back to Avalon had put the youngsters at a serious disadvantage. Plus their parents were now working full time at their jobs here at the colony.

Sarek had been right when he took Spock to task for not teaching his youngest children in proper Vulcan education. Spock simply did not have the time any longer. He had a hundred other lives to take care of here at Alpha. The result had been the neglect of Soran's survival training.

But Sapel _did_ have the time and a plan began to form in the young man's brain. He would start it tomorrow.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"Papa, can I talk to you?"

Spock continued to pour his morning cup of coffee. "Of course. You may always speak with me, Sapel. What troubles you?"

Sapel waited until he had his father's full attention. "We need to talk about Soran," he said then moved to pour himself a cup. "Let's sit down."

His father nodded and seated himself at the dining table, taking a sip of the hot liquid. Sapel did the same, then continued, "He's been coming into my room every few nights and asking to sleep with me."

"And you want me to tell him to stop?"

"Good grief, no. I'm an adult and I can kick him out of my room if I decide to do so." Sapel shook his head, his long black hair swaying. "No, Pa, I'm worried that he's getting no survival training. In case you missed it, he's eight years old now and couldn't survive a _kahs'wan_ if we stood by and held his hand."

Spock eyebrow lifted in reply. "I have not missed it, Sapel. I am very much aware of it. What do you suggest?"

"I want to take him out with me on a trip over to Beta Colony and teach him how to live on this planet," his son answered. "I think we need to get him away from Mama and the girls. You did the same with me on more than one occasion. Unless you want to take him out yourself and train him. And what about T'Kai and T'Larin? I sort of agreed with Sarek about their Vulcan training. I feel psy ability in both of them. They need to learn to handle that and I don't have the level of training that you do. Mama certainly can't handle it."

"Mama can't handle what?" asked a female voice and both men looked up to see Christine coming into the kitchen, dressed in her doctor's uniform and getting ready to leave for work.

"Nothing. I was just talking to Pa," hedged Sapel, taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Spock?" she questioned suspiciously.

Her husband knew that he could not get around her, so he said it right out. "Sapel and I were discussing the children's training. He wants to take Soran with him when he goes to Beta this week. I agree with him. The boy needs to learn how to survive on this planet."

"What?! You are _not_ taking my baby out into the wilderness--"

"He is not a baby, wife," Spock cut her off, asserting his Vulcan maleness before she could continue. "It is not like when we were stranded here, but this is still a place where the ability to survive is necessary."

"You don't say anything about the other people's children!" Christine stated, her brows coming down in a determined frown.

"Perhaps I should." Spock stood up to face her. "In any case, we are not discussing them right now. Soran is woefully behind in his education – his practical education – and I will allow Sapel to attend to his survival training. He is the most appropriate in his abilities. Or do you wish our youngest son to continue to exhibit retarded development?"

"Don't you say that awful word! He is not retarded!"

"I did not say he was retarded. I did not even imply that he was mentally challenged in any way," her husband snapped back. "I said that Soran has not received the necessary training that should have been attended to long ago. It is my fault that he has not. I allowed myself to become so busy that I have neglected teaching our children how to live on this planet."

"And?"

"And I believe that it is time to delegate responsibilities at the colony administration so that I may take that training in hand." Spock glanced at his eldest son. "And, yes, Sapel, I listened when Sarek was here with us. T'Kai and T'Larin both need my attention to develop and discipline their telepathic abilities. I have even considered returning them to Vulcan for that training."

"No! No! No! No!" exploded Christine, almost stamping her foot. "I will not allow my girls to be sent off planet. I will not have them so far away from me!!" Tears were starting in her furious blue eyes. "I lost T'Larin once. I won't lose her again!"

Spock stepped up and took his wife by the shoulders. "Nor will I, _t'hyla_. But they must have the ability to control their psychic abilities. I will rearrange my schedule and take on their training. Quiet, now. You are upsetting yourself unnecessarily."

Christine sniffed and brought herself under control. "I'm just still so rattled by the people we lost in the earthquake. We could have lost our babies, too."

"But we didn't. Now, straighten yourself up. We will be late for work and I have much thinking to do." He wiped away a tear from her cheek.

She nodded and returned to their bedroom to fix her makeup. Spock turned back to where Sapel had been watching them with a bit of embarrassment. He didn't like it when his mother got upset, but hadn't said anything. Spock picked up his coffee cup and drained it.

"Make your plans, Sapel, and Soran will go with you to Beta. It is time he faced his _kahs'wan_."

* * *

Soran had been ecstatic when he learned that he was to leave school a week early and accompany his big brother on a journey across the plains. He strutted around in front of his pouting twin sister until Christine told him to cut it out. The woman, though, fretted and was distracted in the evenings, trying to figure out what her youngest son needed to take with him. Finally Spock banished her from the project and turned the packing over to Sapel, who had practical experience in such matters.

Then it was Christine's turn to pout and pace and worry. Finally, her husband took T'Jenn aside. "Daughter, you are grown now and I need to ask a favor of you."

"Sure, Papa. What do you need?"

"Do you believe that you can be in charge of T'Kai and T'Larin for approximately a week to 10 days?" Spock asked.

"Of course," his daughter answered. "What's up?"

"I wish to take your mother away on a short … vacation," the Vulcan replied. "She has been severely stressed since the earthquake and I believe she would respond well to a retreat."

T'Jenn grinned broadly. "I think that's a perfectly marvelous idea, Pa! Yeah, the girls and I will have a little vacation on our own, with the boys and you and Mama not here. We'll have a girl getaway. When are you leaving?"

"As soon as Sapel and Soran are on their way." The usually stoic Vulcan allowed a smile to show on his lips. And he knew exactly where he would take his wife to have her all to himself.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

"Spock, where are we going?" asked Christine in a worried voice when she noticed that he was piloting their little red skimmer south, away from the colony.

"My wife, how long have we been married?" he answered with a secretive little smile.

"I don't know exactly. Twenty-three or twenty-four years, I think."

"Exactly. It is difficult to calculate with the changing planetary time zones, time spent on ships, and the fact that we lived as man and wife for several years before we had our official wedding on Risa, but I estimate that it is closer to twenty-five years."

Spock turned his head to face her for a moment, this time a real smile on his lips and a mischievous twinkle in his dark brown eyes. "On your planet, twenty-five years is a significant anniversary – our so-called silver anniversary. Christine, my wife, we are going away on a second honeymoon."

Chapel's mouth fell open in amazement. "What? Are you kidding me? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because this was meant to be a surprise," he replied, turning back to look out the forward windscreen.

"But, how? I mean, I need to make preparations to be away!"

"All is arranged," her husband answered. "T'Jenn is in charge of the girls, Soran is with Sapel, I have made preparations for others to take over our jobs at the colony, and I have packed supplies for us, including your clothing – what little you will need, that is." Again he glanced slyly at her, smiling.

Christine gave a little gasp in delight and her face spread into a genuine grin. "Spock! That sounds positively wicked!"

"If we do it correctly," he smiled back.

"Okay, so tell me. Where are we going?"

Spock made a small adjustment to the pilot's controls, setting the autopilot on a southerly course that tracked the river they were following. Then he settled back into his seat and leaned over to pull Christine into a long, slow kiss. When he drew away, his face still close to hers, he whispered, "I regret that there is not enough room in this vehicle to begin our vacation before we actually reach our destination."

"It's probably a good thing there isn't," she chuckled. "I don't think we'd ever get there … wherever 'there' is."

"We are going to Sea Home," he replied. "It has been many years, since we were rescued, and I have longed to see it."

"But … but the cabin was destroyed by the hurricane," Christine protested. "What are we going to do? Camp?"

"I cannot say," Spock responded. "Would you like to camp beside the hot pool? It is one of the reasons I did not pack very much clothing for us."

Christine gave a little growl deep in her throat. The memories of the time she and Spock had spent in the hot waters that trickled down from the hillside to form a natural hot tub made something primal throb within her.

"Can this thing go any faster?" she demanded ferally.

"Yes, it can," he answered in a like voice and ordered the ship's computer to increase to top speed.

* * *

"S'Pel! Stop! I'm tired!"

The pitiful tone of the voice caused Sapel to turn around, catching sight of his little brother trailing behind him by several yards. The boy looked hot and worn out. "I'm hungry and I gotta pee!"

"Well, come on, slowpoke," the older Vulcan urged him. "We're almost where we're going." But he waited for the boy to catch up. There was a rustle in the grass and the half-grown wolf cub, Joey, trailed up, too, his long tongue hanging out, panting.

"Where we goin'?" Soran asked grouchily as he came level with his brother. "I needta go t' th' bathroom!"

"Well, go ahead," the man answered.

Puzzled, the boy looked around. "Where?"

"Right here. As a matter of fact, I need to go, too." With that, Sapel undid the fly of his pants, reached in to free his penis, and proceeded to urinate into the grass.

Soran looked aghast. "Sapel! That's nasty!"

"No, it isn't. We're out in the wilderness, there's nobody around, and you do what you need to do." Finished, he gave his penis a little shake, tucked it back into his pants, and closed the fly. "Go ahead if you need to."

Soran hesitated, then copied the actions of his sibling.

"See?" asked Sapel. "We're men. This is what men do."

"Papa, too?"

"Yeah, Papa, too. Every man I've ever known if they need to go and there's not a restroom around."

"What about girls?"

"They pull down their panties and squat."

"Even Mama?"

"Yeah, even Mama. Although if girls are around, you might want to find someplace secluded. They do. They're more modest than we are." Sapel grinned. "Now, are you ready to get to the place we're going to stop for lunch?" Then he paused and laughed. "Look at Joey." They watched as the cub squatted on his haunches and let loose a yellow stream of urine. "Guess he's a guy, too, huh?"

This put Soran in a better mood and he stopped his whining for the most part. "Where we going?"

"There's a grove of trees up ahead. We'll rest in the shade and have our lunch and talk for a while. I know we've walked a long way and you're not used to it. But you need to _get_ used to it. It's part of living on this planet and we used to walk everywhere. While we rest, I'll tell you some tales about when I was growing up here."

Soran looked happier and Joey bounced through the grass up ahead of them, chasing bugs. The threesome headed for the trees they could see about a mile away.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Christine looked eagerly around as Spock landed the little flitter on the side of a wooded hill. The site had been smoothed out and leveled, obviously prepared for just such an event and for a moment, the fact skipped the woman's attention. The place was so familiar to her, even though she hadn't seen it in years.

"I never thought I'd see this place again," she said and, indeed, there was a small part of her that hadn't wanted to. The last time she saw it, their log home had been destroyed by a hurricane and she'd suffered a broken leg in the process. But it was also the place where the family had been rescued when they had long since given up hope.

Now, she opened the door to the flitter and stepped out, her eyes going over the tall pines that surrounded them, savoring the breeze that flowed through them, the soft sound the branches made, and the fresh smell of the trees. Spock, who had also gotten out of the vehicle, came around and joined her, a smile stretching his lips.

"Oh, it's marvelous!" his wife sighed, then looked a bit downcast. "But where are we going to camp?"

"Come with me," he said and took her hand.

He led her down a path through the woodlands which soon opened out into a broad clearing. And there Christine stopped dead in her tracks, amazed.

Hugging the side of the hill was a perfectly built log structure, a stone fireplace reaching up beyond a split beam roof covered in metal sheeting. A modern door was snugged into the front and a plastisteel window was set into the logs on the side, weather and water proof. Flagstones invitingly made a path to the doorway.

Christine lifted both hands to her face as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Oh, Spock! How--? When--? Oh, my God!"

Her husband was obviously enjoying her reaction. "Before the _Enterprise_ left orbit, I borrowed a few of the construction crew and we rebuilt the cabin. I've improved it, too. There's a real floor and real furniture inside. Let me show you."

With that, he stepped up and pressed his thumb against an inset pad on the door. The sound of a lock opening was heard and he pushed open the entrance. Christine started to move inside, but Spock halted her, then surprised her by swinging her up into his arms.

"I believe this is an old Earth custom," he said as he carried her across the threshold.

His wife giggled like a girl, her arms around his neck. "Oh, Spock! This is silly! We're not newlyweds. Anyway, this went out of fashion a long time ago."

"Nevertheless, welcome home, my wife." He set on her feet, but pulled her tightly into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. "Or, perhaps, welcome _back_ home," he murmured as he lifted his lips from hers. "I told you, this is our second honeymoon. We have things all to ourselves. No children, no work, nothing but relaxation and making love."

She laughed again and took the opportunity to look around. The last time, there had been nothing but a fur on the floor on which they slept. Now there was a proper bed awaiting them, along with a table and chairs and some other things.

Christine moved back into Spock's arms and lifted her face to his once more. "Then close the door and let's get started," she said in a sort of growl. "I think I feel _pon farr_ coming on."

His eyebrow lifted. "I am not in _pon farr_ ," he replied.

"No, but I am!" And she melted back against him, wriggling her body to convey her intent.

* * *

"Tell me about you and Mama and Papa," Soran said as he took a bite of his sandwich. They were sitting in the shade under a small grove of trees, resting and having their lunch. Joey was curled up in his carry bag, almost too big to fit it any longer, but feeling secure and fast asleep nestled in the grass.

"What do you want to know?" asked Sapel, leaning back against the bole of a tree and chewing on his own meal.

"How'd you get here?" the boy responded.

"Well, I wasn't here at first," the elder brother chuckled. "I was born here later. At first, it was just Mama and Papa."

"So, how'd _they_ get here?"

"Okay, do you know who the Romulans are?"

"Yeah. Bad guys."

"Bad guys." Sapel took a sip of water and pondered for a moment. "Well, you know that our parents were both in Starfleet. In fact, the people who came to help us after the earthquake, the people on the _Enterprise_? Well, that was their ship. But one day they were off the ship, at a starbase like they're building up over our planet here--"

"Yeah. Sometimes I can see it going over at night. It's got lots of lights on it."

"Yes. Anyway, one day they were on a starbase and they got kidnapped by Romulans who were mad at Papa personally, not just because he was a Starfleet officer, but something he did to them years ago."

"What?"

"That's another story. I'll tell you that one – or better, get one of them to tell you – some other time. So, as I was saying, these Romulans kidnapped Mama and Papa and brought them here to Avalon and left them. There weren't any other people then, just the two of them. The Romulans actually intended for them to die here and nobody would ever know where they were. But, you know how stubborn Mama can get when she wants to? Well, she said she was _not_ going to die and neither was Papa!"

Soran laughed. He'd been on the wrong end of Mama's temper more than once and he could picture the scene.

"Bet that showed 'em, huh?"

"Yeah. Anyway, they learned to survive here and lived here for a long time. After a while, they fell in love with each other and then I came along." Sapel actually didn't know the details and that was his parents' business anyway, but he wouldn't have gone into the particulars even if he did. Soran was too young for that. And then his mind flashed back to the times when he had overheard or seen Spock and Christine engaging in sex when they thought he was asleep. Sapel had matured fast as he was growing up, but this was a part of Soran's life that he had yet to reach.

Sapel glanced up at the sky to note the position of the sun as it glinted brightly through the leaves of the tree. "Are you finished with your lunch?" he asked. "Ready to march on again? Okay, be sure and pick up all your used stuff and stow it away. We don't leave any trash."

The two brothers cleaned up their resting site and Sapel helped Soran don his backpack again. Then he hefted Joey's carry bag and slung it over his head to rest on his shoulder. The wolf cub stirred, but quickly fell back asleep. The two Vulcans set out again across country toward the west and the low purple mountains on the horizon.

* * *

Spock sighed deeply and rolled off his wife onto his back, sated from their lovemaking. His body was moist from her sweat and it cooled rapidly, chilling him slightly. Sensing this, Christine reached down and dragged the sheet and blanket over them both, then lay back down and reached to entwine her fingers with his as they snuggled side by side.

"That was good," she smiled, eyes closed, and savoring the warmth of his body next to hers.

"I endeavored to satisfy you," he murmured back, his eyes closed as well.

"You succeeded," Christine replied with a little chuckle. "I used to hear people say that if a Vulcan ever got going, there was no stopping him. I believe it!"

Spock opened his eyes and looked over at her with affection. "I am stopping, _t'hyla_. Even a Vulcan has to rest sometime!"

Laughing, she cuddled closer. "That's okay. I don't have the energy I used to when I was younger. Getting old is hell."

"You are far from old, my wife. I think you are perfect as you are."

"Says the not-even-middle-aged Vulcan. Wait until I start getting wrinkled and bent and arthritic!"

"You have been arthritic for years," he countered, a little smile stretching the corners of his lips. "You used to tell me when it was going to rain by which joint hurt. You'd say that your old granny could predict--"

"Oh, shut up!" But she was laughing again, then she shifted over onto her side so that she could slide her arm across his firm chest and hug him closer to her. He moved to face her and pulled her into him, savoring how her full breasts pushed into his torso.

Unable to resist, he ran his fingertips along their swells. "These prove just how young you still are," he whispered. "Old women do not have breasts like these."

"You've checked this out, have you?" Christine demanded in mock outrage. "Who should I go kill?"

"Whom," Spock corrected her and she have him a little punch. In response, he leaned in and kissed her.

"I thought you were tired," Christine whispered against his lips.

"In fact, I am." He embraced her and closed his eyes again. "I need to sleep and so do you. Let's continue this discussion in the morning."

"Let's go down to the hot spring in the morning," she murmured back. "I want to soak naked with you and see what comes up!" She chuckled again with a somewhat evil tone.

"You are insatiable," he said, but pulled her close as they settled down in one another's arms.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

The brothers had camped early at the foot of a hill that was the precursor of a small mountain range. The area they were in now had become drier and more barren, but Sapel judged that there was enough material here to be of use to him. Having left their gear at the chosen campsite, he turned Joey loose to run around and forage, then walked off himself, studying the surroundings.

Soran trotted after him. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"Looking for fire starting materials," the older Vulcan answered. "I want you to help me. Here – can you climb up this little tree and get that old bird nest?"

The boy did as requested, dropping back down with the abandoned nest in his hand. "Whatta you going to do with this?"

"You'll see." The bush was nearly dead, the small leaves brown and crumbly. Sapel stripped off a handful and stowed them in his pouch. "Now … let's look for dead branches and dead grass. We're going to need both."

"What for?"

"You'll see," Sapel repeated.

Within half an hour, they had what they would need and Sapel led them back to camp, where he deposited all the various materials. The leaves he crumpled further into almost dust, heaping them up, then took the bird nest and set it aside. His next action was to open his carry pouch and pull out two rocks.

Soran was crouching at his side, watching him. "What are those for, S'Pel?"

"I'm going to teach you how to make fire," his brother replied. "Now, I want you to look closely at these rocks. What do you see in them?"

The boy peered studiously at them. "One's kinda gold and the other's kinda whitish."

"That's right. I want you to remember them. This goldish one is pyrite."

"Like the little cube you brought me!"

"Yes. It's the same thing, but this piece is pyrite ore. See how rough it is? The other stone is flint. You can make various tools out of it, but that's another lesson. Today's lesson is that if you strike these two stones together, you'll get sparks and you can start a fire with them. Now watch closely."

Soran leaned in to watch as Sapel bent over the little pile of finely crumbled leaves he'd made. Then he rapidly began to strike the flint against the pyrite, hard and repeatedly. It took a minute of this action but then one of the sparks hit the pile of leaf crumbs and a tiny wisp of smoke began to curl up.

Quickly Sapel put down the stones and began to fan the ember to make it glow brighter, at the same time reaching with his other hand for the bird nest. Smoke curled up faster and Sapel gently lifted the glowing ember and deposited it into the nest. This he brought up near his lips and began to blow lightly on it. The smoke became thicker – and then a bright flame burst into being.

Sapel grabbed a handful of dried grass and began to feed the flame, putting the now vigorously burning bundle on the ground and adding more sere grass. The fire burned higher and the man began to add the twigs and small branches they'd gathered until the camp fire was blazing away vigorously. Then he sat back in satisfaction and looked at his fascinated little brother.

"Now, do you think you can do that?"

Soran's hazel eyes were wide underneath his slanted brows, now raised into the fringe of black hair. "That's amazing, S'Pel! I can't believe you can do that!"

"Believe it, because I want you to learn to do it yourself." At Soran's glance, Sapel continued seriously. "I'm going to teach you how to do all sorts of things on this trip, Soran. Papa doesn't have time to take you out into the wilderness and teach you how to survive, but I do. And when I think you've learned enough to take full care of yourself, you're going to do your _kahs'wan_. You should have done it already, but you didn't know enough. That's what we're out here for. I'm going to teach you how to make fire, how to hunt, how to find shelter, how to recognize dangerous things and good things … in short, all the things I learned growing up here."

The older brother sighed and settled back. "Now, let's get our tent raised and then we'll dig out some grub. We've got a lot to do yet, but tonight we're going to sleep well."

* * *

T'Jenn was enjoying the quiet at the house for a change. With her parents and brothers gone, and her little sisters in school, the young woman was working at the household computer station on her first classes at UCLA Interstellar. Because of her sketchy early education, she was finding some of them challenging but very interesting. The venerable Earth university made subspace classes available to Federation adults who were not able to attend the classes in person. Many universities offered this service but Jenny and her parents had chosen this one to begin her higher education.

Jenn's attention was interrupted by a tapping at the back door and she placed a bookmark on the page she was reading, paused the computer, and rose to see who it was.

To her surprise, it was her friend and love interest Eddie Running Horse. Opening the door, she let him in and gave him a hug. "Eddie! What are you doing here? I thought you were still on your shift on the starbase!"

"Just a quick break this time," the Native American man answered. "Are your folks here?"

"No, they went on a little vacation," the girl answered.

"Brothers? Sisters?"

"The guys are off on a wilderness hike and the girls in school." Jenny was beginning to get his drift and her blue eyes twinkled. "No grandfathers, no visitors, nobody home but me!"

"Good!" Eddie replied and pulled her into his arms and planted a fervent kiss on her lips. It went on for a long time and grew in intensity for both of them. When he finally drew his mouth away from hers, he asked breathlessly, "Where is your bedroom?"

"This way," Jenny responded and took his hand to lead him down the hallway. They were kissing again by the time she drew him into a small room with two beds, one hers and one T'Kai's. Quickly, they began to undress one another, exchanging heated kisses as they did so, running hands and lips over the other's body.

"I've waited so long for this!" Jenny whispered, caressing his mahogany body.

"We're not waiting any longer," he answered back, fondling her small breasts and trim hips. Finally naked, they fell onto Jenn's bed and their love play sped up, hands exploring, mouths tasting, fingers probing.

As his fingers stroked down between her legs, she opened herself and let her head fall back onto her pillow, a little cry escaping her lips. "Oh, my god," she moaned. "Oh, that feels so good!"

"It will get better," he answered and began to probe his fingers into her hot wet opening. 

For a second, she stopped him and opened her eyes to look at him. "I've never done this before, Eddie," she said. "I'm a virgin."

"I'll be easy," the young man responded. "It'll hurt for a few seconds, then all you'll feel is pleasure. I want you so much, sweetheart. I can't wait much longer!"

Jenn nodded and lay back again. She hadn't touched his private parts with her hands, too shy to do this just yet, but could now feel the hardness of his manhood pushing against her leg. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself and he, sensing that it was time, moved atop her, between her thighs. Taking his erection in one hand, he guided himself to the spot he sought and, with just the head nudging in between her nether lips, he paused. "Ready?" he asked.

The girl nodded, her eyes still closed, her hands sliding up around his back. Then she felt him thrust into her and there was a sharp twinge inside as he broke her maidenhead. But, as he'd said, she soon forgot about it, lost in the building sensation of her first orgasm.

Within minutes, she was writhing beneath his pounding body, sweat rolling off both of them, and she was crying out with each hard lunge he made. He didn't last long, so charged with sexual excitement that he jammed himself into her, as far as he could go, and gave a loud grunt as he came within her. She hunched up underneath him, her own climax rapidly following.

For a few seconds, she felt as if she was going to black out, riding the crest of the most intense sensation she'd ever felt. Then his body relaxed and he let out a deep sigh, collapsing onto her. Jenn hugged him closely, breathing hard. "Oh, my god," she repeated.

Lifting himself slightly, he kissed her long and thoroughly. "I love you, Jenny," he whispered.

"I love you, Eddie," she replied. She gulped and tried to wet her dry mouth. "Is it always like that?"

"No, it's different every time," he answered, stroking her face. "There are all kinds of positions we could try if you're willing. But I think at first we ought to just do the old reliable one with me on top. Until you get used to that one, that is. Want to go again? Are you too sore?"

Jenny felt a pulse of excitement race through her and realized that his penis was still inside her, regaining its full hardness. Grinning, she shook her head. "I'm not sore at all! What do I need to do?"

"Just lie there and enjoy it, babe," Eddie replied and settled himself against her body, beginning to move his hips once more.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Christine settled back against the side of the hot pool near their cabin and sighed. God, she'd missed this. The hot stream of water trickled out of the side of the hill, steaming, into the shallow catch pool at its base. At first, the heat was too high to be tolerated, but by the time it reached the other end where it overflowed its edge and ran down toward the sea, it had cooled enough to be the temperature of an extremely warm bath.

The water felt marvelous as Christine sank her nude body down to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and let her mind go blank. The water moved against her and she felt Spock slip in beside her, settling his naked body onto the same shallow shelf and snuggling against her side.

They were both silent for a moment then she murmured, "Wanna fool around?"

He chuckled softly and laid his hand on her submerged thigh. "Again?" he asked. "You appeared to be worn out just a short while ago. The water must have invigorated you."

"Actually, just the opposite. I'm as limp as a noodle." Then she looked at him with a wicked expression and put her hand on his leg. "Is your noodle limp?" Her fingers inched toward his groin.

Immediately, his hand flew over to stop her. "Yes. It is. At the moment, in any case." His face held an expression of exasperation, but his eyes shone. "I brought you down here to relax, you know. This is not relaxing!"

"I thought you brought me down here on a second honeymoon!" she replied, laughing. Her fingers scrambled to reach his penis but his strong grip held her hand firmly.

"I promise that we shall make love again soon," the Vulcan insisted. "But please allow me to recover a bit. You overestimate my endurance, wife!"

Christine stopped her play and smiled up at him. "I'm sorry. It's just that your body turns me on so much. I've missed having you all to myself without kids or duties interrupting us."

"As have I, _t'hyla_ ," Spock smiled back.

"Okay, I'll be good. Let's just talk."

"And what shall we talk about?"

She was thoughtful for a moment. "Our future here, perhaps? How long are we going to do the jobs we have now? When we came back, I had some sort of idea that it would be like before. Wandering and exploring, but with the knowledge that we could call for help if we got into real trouble. Not having to run a colony and make all the decisions and raise five kids."

"I had much the same idea, too," Spock admitted. "There is so much of this planet yet to be explored. We have never seen the rest of this continent or any of the others. And yet I fear letting go of my control over this colony and its people. I want the planet to remain as pristine as possible, not contaminated or dominated by invasive species."

"Like humans," she suggested.

"Yes. I think of the native peoples here. The Lemurians. Thankfully, our colonists haven't made contact with them yet, and I hope to prolong that contact as long as possible." Spock's gaze looked down and his expression turned meditative.

Christine nodded. "So many civilizations on Earth were destroyed by invading explorers and settlers. But the Lemurians warred amongst themselves, remember. I wonder if Picku is still alive? I'd almost like to go in search of her and find out."

Her husband looked up at her and his face became stern. "No. She may be the only one left who came into contact with us. The rest of her people are gone. The tribe that took her in may not remember their brief meeting with us. I prefer that they remain innocent."

Christine nodded. "And yet at times I just want to leave it all and live out our lives without having to battle all that. There's no answer, is there, Spock?"

"I fear not. But I had our cabin rebuilt so that we could at least have a place to get away, if only temporarily." He gazed down at her. "Do you approve of how I had it done?"

"Oh, I love it!" Christine snuggled against his shoulder and squeezed his thigh again. She noted that this time he didn't stop her hand from moving farther down. "Everything is so much like I remember it. No bugs, though."

"I thought of that. There is a light force screen surrounding the area that stops insects from penetrating. You don't feel it but it is much like an electronic mosquito netting."

"Genius!" Christine lifted her face up and kissed him. Underneath her hand, she could feel movement and stroked it with her fingertips. The response was immediate. "Feels like you've rested," she smiled. "Vulcans recover pretty fast!"

"It must be the hot water," Spock replied with a little smile on his lips. His fingers slipped down her thigh into the interesting hills and valleys there. "Have you recovered as well?"

Her lips spread impishly. "Oh, yes," she murmured and turned slightly to sink into his arms. Their lips and tongues dueled for a few moments, their hands bringing the other into receptive attention.

Then she moved to straddle his hips, settling onto the hardening rod she found there. Spock slid his fingers onto her temples and opened his mind to her, enhancing the delicious impalement with the fire he was feeling in his blood for his bondmate, leading them into the dance of fulfillment.

Neither was aware of the two green eyes that watched them from the undergrowth, nor the little growl that was scarcely audible.

* * *

"Let's stop here and rest for a while," Sapel suggested. He and Soran had been walking for a couple of hours and the little boy was beginning to flag. It was early autumn but the sun was hot and the arid region they were in provided little shade. The elder brother spotted a tall cactus-like plant that spread out its limbs like an oddly made tree.

The two settled at the base of the tree in its minimal shade and Sapel broke out the water bag at his side, offering it to Soran. "Just a small sip, now," he warned. "There's not much water in this area and we can't waste it."

Soran took a couple of short drinks and handed the bag back. There was a scrambling sound and Joey appeared, smelling water with his sensitive nose. Sapel poured a little into his palm and held it down to the wolf cub, who lapped it eagerly. "He's not used to this dry environment," the young man said. "His kind live mainly to the east where it's wetter."

"Why'd you bring him then?" Soran queried.

"Because I want to get him used to surviving on his own … just like you," Sapel replied. He gave Joey a little bit more water, then took a swig himself and resealed the water bag. "Okay, we'll rest here for a little while then march on. I have a place in mind where we can camp for the night and I'm going to show you how to get food for yourself. This place has a hopper warren and we're going to kill and eat one."

The boy's nose wrinkled. "Yuck! Eat meat?! Papa would have a fit!"

"Papa wouldn't do anything of the kind. And let me explain why." Sapel adjusted his place in the shade. "For one thing, when it's logical, Papa would do anything. He learned his first winter here that if he was going to survive, he had to eat meat. There weren't enough plants around to keep him alive. I grew up eating what we killed and Papa and I hunted regularly. Mama learned to make clothes out of the pelts. We used the bones and antlers as tools, and sometimes we had to kill to defend ourselves. Which reminds me…"

The young man reached to his side and pulled out his steel Romulan knife that he'd purchased on his travels as a trader. "You see this?"

"Yeah, you've always got it," Soran answered, a bit puzzled.

"Exactly right. One of Papa's cardinal rules was 'Never go unarmed'. He and Mama had knives like this, too. Their knives saved their lives more than once and this knife here saved mine. When my ship crashed, everybody on it died except me. The reason was that I was able to cut myself free from the safety harness and escape the ship before I was burned to death."

Sapel slipped the knife back into its sheath and reached into his backpack. "You are old enough to have one yourself. I can't get you a steel knife, but I'm going to give you what I started out with. An obsidian blade that I carried when I was your age."

With that, Sapel brought out a leather scabbard and belt. The scabbard contained a shiny black blade with the grip wrapped tightly in leather binding. He handed it over to his little brother.

Soran's eyes were wide and shining as he accepted the gift. "Wow! Thanks, S'Pel!"

"This isn't a toy," Sapel warned him. "This is a weapon. You're going to learn how to kill and skin small animals with it. If you're attacked by something, you're going to use it to defend yourself. I made this blade when I was younger than you are and it's still as sharp as it was then. So be careful and don't cut yourself. From now on, you're responsible for using it like an adult. When you've proved you can do that and after you've passed your _kahs'wan_ test, I'll talk to Papa about getting you an adult blade like ours."

Soran looked up in admiration at his older brother. "I promise, Sapel. I won't let you down."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Eddie and Jenny snuggled against one another, not quite dozing but just enjoying the sensation of their naked skin pressing together. Their second lovemaking had lasted longer as he worked himself back to culmination and she had discovered the joy of her own sensitive body reaching orgasm several times. When he finally could hold back no longer, his thrusts intensified, bringing her up with him one final time as she arched and cried out beneath him.

Then both were exhausted and they had been lying quietly for over a half hour. Jenny lightly stroked the smooth lines of his muscular back and the long braid of black hair that fell over his shoulder. In turn, he softly caressed her breast, simply enjoying the sensation of the soft mound against his palm.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured against her hair. "I want to get married when I get back."

"From where?" she asked, letting her hand slide down to his firm buttocks.

"I've got to leave in a few minutes in fact. I've got to catch the shuttle back up to the station." His lips pressed against her cheek then against her lips. She turned her head to meet him and they kissed and tongued each other's mouths. His hand on her breast tightened, squeezing gently and he felt her nipple rise up.

"I thought you were through," Jenny whispered, massaging his butt cheek and being rewarded by feeling him begin to harden once more into her thigh.

"Almost." They could have been talking either about his job building the starbase or their time together. He moved his mouth to her throat, kissing it, then further to her breast, replacing his hand with his mouth, beginning to suck and lick her. Jenny arched her back up and groaned. "We're sealing the station and pressurizing it. Then the interior crew will move in and the construction crew will be done."

His foreplay intensified as he groaned, "Oh, God, Jenny. I've got to have you one more time before I go. I love you so much!"

"Yes! Oh, Eddie!" she moaned back, clutching him.

Without further word, he shifted atop her and quickly slid into her warm, moist body, immediately beginning to thrust urgently. It was only minutes before she felt him pound into her frantically and freeze, grunting as he came. The need she felt in him shoved her over the top, too, and she brought her legs up to clutch his hips, holding him in place as long as she could.

But then he was kissing her and rising from the bed, leaving her feeling cold in his sudden absence. Quickly, he gathered his clothes and dressed, then bent over her again. "I love you, babe," he said, kissing her once more. "I'll contact you as soon as I can. Better get up and get dressed before the kids get home. Love you! Bye." And then he was gone.

Jenny lay on the sweaty bed for a few minutes more, simply luxuriating in the sensations that were rippling over her body. She was a woman! She was no longer a virgin! And she had a man who loved her and wanted to marry her! Hugging herself, she focused on the tingling and electric pulses still going through her vagina, trying to recapture the feeling of him inside her and almost wanting to lie here forever, but then sensibility came back to her.

Eddie was right. The kids would be out of school very shortly. She had to clean up and get her clothes on right away. With that, Jenny finally rose and picked up her clothing, taking them into the bathroom with her. Wetting a wash cloth, she ran it over her face and body, then scrubbed it between her legs.

The cloth in her hand showed a thick cloudy liquid and a bit of blood. In fascination, she stared at the evidence of their lovemaking, at Eddie's semen and the blood from the breaking of her hymen. Her practicality interrupted her thoughts. She couldn't just put her panties on. The seepage would wet them too much. Better wear a menstrual pad.

She retrieved one from underneath the cabinet and pressed it onto the crotch of the panties as she put them on. Then she donned her jeans and shirt, brushed her long brown hair, wet with sweat, into a pony tail, and tied it there. In the mirror, she decided she looked okay. If T'Kai asked, she'd just say she'd been out for a walk and had gotten overheated. Better go make up the bed, too.

Jenny was ready a half hour later when her two sisters returned from school and she was in the process of making them snacks. But half of her mind was still on Eddie and the way his brown body had moved above her pale one. She'd have great dreams tonight.

* * *

_Wham!_

Christine jolted awake with a scream, even as Spock's arm flashed out to hold her down.

"Quiet!" he ordered, staring at the ceiling of the cabin. There was a scrambling noise across the metal roofing and he got up, pulling on his robe and cinching it about his waist, then picked up the phaser lying on the bedside table.

Christine did the same, listening to the sounds on the roof. Abruptly they stopped and there was a soft thud as whatever it was seemed to have leapt to the ground. "What do you think it is?" she asked softly, getting her own phaser.

"I don't know." Spock was listening hard but was unprepared for the unearthly howling that sounded next. "Some sort of animal."

He crept closer to the door as the howl sounded again and then there was frantic scratching at the door itself. This kept up for several minutes, getting more frantic. There was a spyhole in the door, but it showed nothing. Whatever it was appeared to be too small to be seen at an eye level.

"I'm going to open the door just a crack," Spock said tensely. "Get ready to fire if it attacks."

Christine nodded, training her phaser with both hands towards the door, careful not to hit Spock if she had to shoot.

Still holding his own weapon trained, with one hand Spock carefully unbolted the heavy door and eased it open, trying to see what the animal was. In an instant, the dog-sized creature shot through the doorway, knocking the Vulcan back, and raced toward the bed, sliding underneath it.

"Jesus!" Christine exclaimed. "What was _that_?!" Almost in answer, there was a soft mew from under the bedstead and the woman gasped. Then she laid down her phaser and got down onto her hands and knees.

"Christine!" Spock cried in alarm.

"It's okay." She held out her hand and clucked reassuringly. "Come on, baby. Come to Mama."

The mew sounded again and then a golden, black-spotted animal crawled out and into her lap. Christine cuddled it in her arms and rubbed her face against its fur. "It's Scruffy, Spock! I didn't think she was still alive. She must have smelled us and tracked us here to the cabin."

The Vulcan sighed in relief and put his own phaser on the bedside table. "I am frankly amazed," he said, approaching the two and holding out his hand for the hunting cat to smell. She did and then her pink tongue flicked out to lick his fingers. "How old do you think she must be now?"

"I don't know. She must be over twenty. She looks pretty old. See the gray hairs in her muzzle? I have no idea how long these cats live." Christine petted and soothed her pet from long ago.

"I should think that she's near the end of her natural life," her husband commented. "Perhaps she came to spend her remaining time with us."

"Who knows? It's just good to see her." She continued to pet the feline and was rewarded by a scratchy purr. "Poor little baby. Where have you been and what have you been doing?"

The woman ran her fingers over the cat's body and through her fur. "I feel a lot of scars here. I don't think there's anything new, though. She must have had a rough life after we left here."

Spock sat down on the edge of the bed. "And what shall we do with her when we leave here in a day or so? If she went to this much trouble to find us, shall we take her with us or turn her back out again?"

"More important, how would she react to all the people here now?" Chapel replied. "She's only ever seen us and a few other people when we were rescued."

"Correct. Perhaps we should take her and release her near the cave," her husband suggested. "We could still see her, but she would still be wild."

"Providing there aren't any other hunting cats up there that might not like a new rival in their territory." Christine petted Scruffy again and the animal closed her green eyes in contentment. "And what about the wolves up there? I don't want them to kill her."

Spock sighed tiredly. "We shall not figure it out tonight, _t'hyla_. I suggest we go back to bed and think on it tomorrow." He stood up and took off his robe, slipping his naked body back underneath the quilts.

Christine gently dumped Scruffy out of her lap and did the same. The cabin lights turned out as the motion sensors detected no movement. It was another improvement that Spock had installed on the recent rebuild. Scruffy jumped up onto the end of the mattress and settled down. Soon all three were fast asleep, secure in each other's company.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

The way into Beta Colony was through a broad, rocky canyon bordered by degraded granite hills that had broken down over the eons into sand-colored boulders. Soran was dazzled by the various shapes and how some seemed balanced on the top of others, apparently ready to tumble down at any moment.

"Watch your step," Sapel warned. "And not just at the rocks. There are animals here in the crevices, some of them poisonous. You'll be okay unless you step on one."

"Okay," Soran answered absently, not really listening.

Behind them, Joey was scrambling among the rocks, hunting. He had grown during the trip, now the size of a medium sized dog such as a German shepherd or a Labrador. His fur had come in and the stripes on his dun-colored flanks now served as camouflage. In addition, his predator instincts were beginning to develop and he had been able to mostly feed himself on small animals that he caught.

Sapel was pleased with their journey to Beta. Soran had grown, too, both in height and maturity. He had learned how to make fire several ways, striking flint with both pyrite and with the steel of Sapel's knife, friction by rubbing sticks, and using a bow drill. He had also made his first kill of a hopper, then was taught how to skin it and roast it over one of the fires he had made.

But when it came to eating it, there Soran balked. His Vulcan senses revolted, even as he watched his big brother tear into the animal flesh of the hopper he had killed.

"I can't do it, S'pel," the boy had protested. "Papa has said that Vulcans don't eat meat."

"Well, that's your choice," Sapel replied calmly, chewing his meal. The rabbit-like animal was tough and gamy, but he'd eaten worse growing up. "But we don't have any other food. Eat it or go hungry. Or you could go find some plants to eat, although I wouldn't advise wandering out in the dark. Something will undoubtedly find _you_ a tasty meal."

Soran looked disgusted and timidly took a bite of the hopper. A couple of chews and he spat it out in revulsion. Joey quickly pounced on the bite and slurped it down, then sat alertly looking for more. He'd been given the offal and other bits that the two Vulcans didn't want and he was eager for anything else they discarded.

Sapel ignored his brother and kept eating, then tossed the remainder of the carcass to the wolf cub, who quickly seized it, crunching bones and swallowing it with relish. Soran still hesitated, but his stomach growled aggressively.

"Don't we have any more of those traveling biscuits?" he asked pleadingly.

Sapel lay back and burped, picking his teeth with a fingernail. "Nope. We ate them all."

The boy sighed indecisively, then tentatively took another bite, making himself chew until he could swallow. It was disgusting, but he got it down. Joey had his eyes locked on the hopper carcass and licked his lips, drooling. Soran sat for a moment, apparently evaluating whether or not it was going to come back up, then tore off another bite. This one wasn't so bad and he got it down, too. A few more and he'd had enough, tossing the rest of the meat to the wolf, where it disappeared within a couple of minutes.

"Good!" said Sapel, sitting back up. "I know you didn't like doing that, but it's part of learning to survive here. Hang in there. It's something you need to know when you take your _kahs-wan_. It's what will make you become a man."

"Yeah, but I don't like it. I miss Mama's cooking."

"So do I, but believe me, once you get through this, you'll be a man both on Vulcan and here." Sapel smiled. "Let's get ready for bed, buddy. One more day and we'll get to Beta tomorrow, then you can get some food that you'll like."

* * *

They took a last long walk along the shore at dawn, hand in hand, not talking but just savoring the quiet rush of waves onto the sand. Sea birds squawked and dived at them, but only Scruffy paid them any mind, stiffly leaping in a vain attempt to catch any. After a while, she gave up and turned her attention to the little crustaceans scuttling into and out of their holes.

After a bit, the couple stopped to watch the sunrise color the sky and the sea.

"It's so beautiful and peaceful here," Christine sighed, leaning against Spock's arm. "If we didn't know what we know about this place, I'd be tempted to move down here and live permanently."

"But we _do_ know," Spock answered softly. "We never could spend more than the winter months here. The summer insects, the water monsters, the heat and humidity… It just seems ideal right now because it's autumn and all the unpleasant things are gone."

"True. Well, shall we get packed up and head back north? This has been a wonderful vacation, but I suppose it's time to get back to reality." The woman looked up at her husband and, for the millionth time thought how handsome he was and how lucky she was to have him as her own.

Spock looked down and raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, _t'hyla_. You flatter me!"

"You heard that?"

"Our bond is close, my wife." His lips pulled into a little smile. "I often 'hear' things that you might wish that I didn't."

She gave a little slap on his arm, but he pulled her into an embrace and lowered his lips to hers. A little flame of sexual fire grew between them as she slipped her arms around his neck and responded fervently.

However, he pushed her away after a moment. "We will not get away from here today if you start that," he warned her impishly. "I will take you back to bed and not let you out!"

Christine grinned. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily, but we _do_ need to return home. We have left the girls and our responsibilities too long."

She sighed and pulled away from him. "You're right. I can ravish you once we get back to our own bedroom." She looked up, her blue eyes sparkling. "But I have _loved_ this get away with you, darling. You've made me feel young again!"

"You _are_ young."

"Pooh! Let's not start that argument again. Come on, let's finish packing and get out of here."

He agreed and they walked back up the hill to the cabin, Scruffy clambering behind them.

* * *

Scrambling down through the last of the boulders, Sapel was picking the path of least resistance, when he heard Soran cry out suddenly. Turning back, he found his little brother standing and holding his right hand in his left, tears streaming down his face.

"Soran! What happened?!" the man demanded.

"Somethin' bit me!" The boy held up his right hand, trembling.

Sapel quickly took his brother's hand and examined it. Sure enough, there was a puncture wound and a swelling, inflamed welt. "Did you see what it was?"

"No! I just put my hand on that rock and it happened."

Sapel quickly turned his attention to the small boulder Soran had indicated and carefully looked around the area. He didn't see anything until he gingerly lifted the stone and caught sight of a black, multi-legged creature about two inches across. Quickly, it scurried back out of sight and was gone.

"I saw it," Sapel announced, "but I'm not going to try to catch it. We can't afford for me to be bitten, too. I think it's venomous."

"You mean I'm gonna die?!" Soran wailed, terrified.

"No, of course not, but I need to get you to the colony for treatment. It's just a mile or so ahead." Sapel turned back to look over the boy's hand again. It was beginning to swell. "I'm going to carry you," he said. "The less you walk, the less that venom will have a chance to get into your bloodstream."

He swung his brother up into his arms, cradling him against his body, and set off. He could see the colony across the broad valley ahead of them and hoped he would make it in time. He hadn't told Soran, but the scorpion-spider was deadly and one of the real dangers in this part of the continent. He thanked the gods for his Vulcan strength and stamina and lengthened his strides as he came down from the rocky area and into the lush grass that filled the valley floor.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

It was the longest hour that Sapel had spent. By the time that he reached the outskirts of the colony, Soran was unconscious in his arms, his right limb swollen and inflamed up to the elbow and the venom still spreading. If it reached the boy's heart, there would be no saving him. He thought back to the time when he was a young child and had been attacked by the water monster at Sea Home. It had taken a linked healing trance with his father to survive it and he longed for Spock now.

However, he had no idea where the Vulcan was or how to reach him. It was up to Sapel to get Soran to the medical facility at Beta Colony.

The colony was laid out differently from Alpha, which was a radiating cluster of main buildings and residences. Beta's buildings stretched along a main street with structures on both sides and, as he came into town, Sapel could see people walking along the covered sidewalks, going about their business.

"Hello!" he called and attracted attention immediately. "I need help!!"

Instantly people rushed toward him. "What's wrong?" "Is the boy injured?" "How can we help you?!"

"I need to get to the med center," Sapel answered them. "My brother has been bitten by a scorpion-spider. Please help us!"

A big man in coveralls pushed forward. "Follow me," he ordered and led the two toward a large building midway down the street. "How long ago was he bitten?"

"About an hour," Sapel answered. "Across the valley in the rocks. I've been carrying him since then."

"Good. I'm Ben Whittle, by the way."

"Sapel. My brother's name is Soran."

"Oh, you're Commander Spock's sons," Whittle answered. "I used to be in Starfleet. I know your father well."

Sapel nodded but didn't intend to waste time socializing. They had reached the med center and as they rushed in, Whittle called, "Doctor! We need help here!"

A middle-aged woman in a medical tunic hurried from her office and saw the problem immediately. "Bring him into the exam room!"

Sapel followed her and laid Soran gently down onto the bed in the room. They were joined by two younger women similarly attired, a blonde and a petite nurse with her coal black hair pulled back into a braided bun. They began to work over the boy, inserting IVs and slipping an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.

"Get me antivenom 12," the doctor instructed tersely, watching the readings on the board above the bed. "Three vials."

The black-haired nurse scurried out and was back in a minute, slapping a loaded hypospray into the doctor's hand. She pressed the hypo against Soran's jugular and there was a hiss. For a moment, all was quiet except the beep of the instruments.

"Give me the second one," the doctor ordered and the nurse handed her the second vial of antivenom. Again there was the wait for a reaction and this time, Soran's readings moved toward the normal range. There was a collective release of tension.

"Close but not enough," the doctor murmured. "Let me have the third one, Maia."

Sapel's attention whipped around to the black-haired nurse. His attention had been solely on his brother, but now he stared, his heart thundering. The young woman paid no attention to him, focused on her job. The third vial was injected and now there was a definite change in the boy's condition.

"Okay, that ought to do it," said the doctor and looked around at Sapel. "You got him here in time. A little longer and we'd be in real trouble."

But Sapel was still gazing at the nurse. "Maia," he whispered in a voice filled with amazement.

Now she looked at him and her green eyes widened and, for a second, she couldn't speak. "Sapel!" she cried and impulsively fell into the young man's arms. "Oh, Sapel! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

Sapel was crushing her against his body, his face buried in her hair. "Maia!! What are you doing here? How…? When…?" He gave up and kissed her hard and fervently. She returned it, then remembered where she was and pushed him away, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

The doctor and the other nurse gazed at them quizzically, then the physician said, "I take it you two have met before."

Maia was laughing now. "Oh, yes, when we were teenagers. He asked me to marry him and I turned him down."

"This is a fascinating story, but we still have work to do. I'm Dr. Brown, by the way. I didn't get your name or that of our patient here."

"I am Sapel and this is Soran."

"Your son?" Dr. Brown asked noting the difference in their ages.

"My brother. Commander Spock and Dr. Chapel at Alpha are our parents."

Dr. Brown nodded and turned back to the small figure on the bed. The readings above the bed were still high but beginning to settle toward normal. "Let's get him moved to a regular hospital bed," she told the blonde nurse. "He's still got a way to go before he'll be over this. Sapel, why don't you contact his parents and tell them what's happened. I'm sure that Dr. Chapel will want to take over his case."

The tall young Vulcan nodded, gazed over his brother and then turned once more to meet Maia's eyes. For a second, he was lost in them and turned to find the communications room.

* * *

They were almost home when the comm unit in the flitter lit up with T'Jenn's face, her expression worried. "Mama? Papa? Are you there?"

Christine leaned over and pushed the reply button. "We're here, honey. What's wrong?"

"I just got a call from Sapel. He and Soran are at Beta Colony, but Soran's been hurt."

"What?! How?!"

"Sapel said he'd been bitten by something," Jenny replied. "He said he needs for you to come as quickly as you can."

"Is Soran all right?" Christine demanded. "How badly is he hurt?"

"I think Sapel got him help in time, but he needs you there." The teenager looked as if she was about to cry.

Spock leaned a bit into the camera range and said evenly, "We are not far from home now, but we will change course and get there as quickly as we can. Stay calm, daughter. Take care of Kai and Lari. We will contact you as soon as we arrive at Beta and find out the situation."

"Okay, Papa. Don't worry. We'll be okay here." And T'Jenn signed off.

"Oh, Spock, I knew we shouldn't have let him go with Sapel!" Christine's expression was stricken and she had paled.

"There is no need to worry unduly," her husband replied, although he had to admit that he was apprehensive. "It may be nothing serious."

Christine nodded and gulped. "I will try to control my emotions."

"Please do, my wife. You are broadcasting quite loudly and I need to pilot us there as safely as possible." Spock glanced at her fondly, then turned his attention to the course and speed of the little flitter while, in the back seat, Scruffy, already nervous about being in the vehicle, squalled and dug her claws into the upholstery, her hair standing on end.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Sapel was sitting at Soran's bedside when Christine rushed in and made a beeline for her youngest son's supine figure, totally ignoring her eldest.

"Soran! Baby, can you hear me? How do you feel?" the woman cried.

"He's asleep, Mama," Sapel replied. "Or he was."

Soran was looking blearily up at his mother. "Hi, Mama," he murmured. "I'm okay." Clearly he wasn't but he smiled reassuringly anyway. "Just kinda sore." His right arm was bandaged and he had an IV line inserted into a vein in his left.

Spock walked serenely into the hospital room and nodded in acknowledgment at Sapel. His gaze quickly ran over the boy in the bed and, satisfied, he stepped up beside his wife. "You are improving, my son," he stated. Outside, he had paused to speak to the nurse in charge and had brought himself up to date on Soran's condition. "You should be well enough to travel home in a day or so."

"I'd like that, Papa," the boy replied, more awake now. "You wouldn't believe all the things S'Pel and I did on the way here! I learned to make fire and use a knife and hunt… Mama, we ate a hopper! Is that okay?"

Christine wiped a tear from her eye. "Of course, it is, baby. Did Sapel tell you all the things we used to have to do here? He's a good teacher, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Can I have some water? I'm thirsty."

"Absolutely!" Christine reached for a lidded cup with a straw and brought it to Soran's lips, lifting his head so he could drink. "Okay, that's enough. You rest now. I'm going to speak to Dr. Brown."

Sapel spoke up. "Mama, you'll never guess who's here."

"In a moment, son." The woman hurried out into the hallway, eager to consult with the colony physician, her counterpart at this location.

Sapel sighed a little and addressed his father instead. "Pa, guess who's here."

"I do not 'guess', Sapel," replied Spock. "I know who is here. Maia Hendrickson."

"How do you know that?" Sapel was a bit disappointed that his surprise was spoiled.

"Because I spoke to her in the hallway." Spock's dark eyes held a twinkle at his son's discomfiture. "I recognized her when we came in. I, too, asked the reason for her being on Avalon and she told me that she was part of the medical replacement staff assigned here after the earthquake. Dr. Eleanor Brown is the new chief medical officer and Maia came in with her. You will recall that Dr. Ming was killed in the earthquake when the medical building was heavily damaged."

"Yes."

They were interrupted when Dr. Brown entered, followed by Christine and Maia, the older woman's arm around the shoulders of the younger. "Guess who's here?!"

"Yes, Mama, we all know," Sapel sighed again.

"Oh … well, it's great to see Maia again!" Christine replied, smiling at the nurse. "It must be ten years since we last saw you on Risa at our wedding."

"About that," Maia answered.

Dr. Brown interrupted the reunion. "Let's take a look at this young man's arm," she said and the reunion broke up, everyone going back to business. Christine joined her at Soran's bedside.

Dr. Brown carefully unwrapped the bandages from the boy's right arm and Christine caught her breath at the swollen, bruised state of the limb. Her medical persona took over. "Was the antivenom administered in time?"

"Sapel got him here in time. The venom of the scorpion-spider is a cytotoxin as you can see from the necrosis surrounding the wound," continued Dr. Brown. "This will take a while to clear up and there may need to be a bit of surgery to debride it, but I think he'll recover nicely."

Christine nodded, finding it hard to keep the tears from her eyes. She reached out and smoothed her little boy's thick black hair. "That's wonderful. When do you think he can travel? I want to get him home where I can keep an eye on him."

"Not just yet. In a day or so." Dr. Brown patted Christine's arm. "I know how you feel. I've got little ones, too. But it's best that he stay quiet and in bed. We don't want to aggravate any traces of venom left in his body or cause any more damage to his arm."

Chapel nodded again. "I understand.

At that moment, one of the technicians stuck his head into the room. "Commander Spock, you'd better come quick. That animal you brought with you has escaped and is in a knock down, drag out fight with some other animal! I think they're gonna kill each other!"

* * *

A crowd had gathered at the end of the street, just where the pavement between the last buildings ended and a dirt track began in the grass beyond. In that grassy area, not far from where Spock had set down their flitter, there was indeed a fight going on between a golden, black-spotted cat-like creature and a rat-like, striped and dun-colored beast, both about the same size and equally armed.

As Spock and Sapel pushed through the crowd, they could hear the squalling of both animals, the dust rising around their rolling and tumbling bodies, teeth snapping and claws ripping. At the front of the crowd, Spock saw a man with a phaser who said to those around them, "I'll stop this right now!" and aimed the weapon at the two fighting creatures.

Spock lunged forward and grabbed the man's wrist just as he fired, yanking his arm up toward the sky so that the beam dissipated in the atmosphere.

"You had that on kill," the Vulcan said through clamped teeth and wrested the phaser from the astonished colonist.

"Who are you?!" the man demanded. "And, yeah, I aimed to kill 'em."

"I am Commander Spock of Alpha Colony. And there is no need for killing." Even as he was speaking, Spock was thumbing the phaser's dial to "stun." Then he calmly aimed at the battling animals and fired.

The blue beam struck both animals, who froze and then fell unconscious to the ground. "There. My son and I will attend to this." He handed the weapon back to the colonist and he and Sapel hurried forward to the two limp animals.

"It's Scruffy!" exclaimed Sapel, kneeling down. "Papa! Where did you find her?!"

"She, in fact, found us," his father answered, kneeling beside him. "She came one night to our cabin at Sea Home and wanted in with us. I was surprised to see that she still lived because she is so old. I suspect she may have been expelled from her territory by a younger cat. In any case, we brought her back with us but she is gravely wounded. How is Joey?"

"Kinda chewed up, but not as bad as Scruffy is." Sapel was examining the wolf cub. There were bite and claw marks all over his body which would need to be tended. The old cat, however, was worse. Joey's knife-like teeth and razor-sharp talons had torn through Scruffy's coat again and again. Worse was the rip down her soft underbelly. She had been eviscerated and her bowels peeked out

Christine had waded through the crowd and now joined her husband and son. "Oh, my God!" she said. "They're both hurt so badly! We need to get them into the med center so I can examine and stitch them up."

"Take Scruffy first, Mama," said Sapel. "She's hurt the worst. Joey will be okay. I'll take care of him. I don't think he'd let anyone else touch him."

Christie nodded. "Can you carry her, Spock?"

"I can," he answered and carefully slipped his hands beneath the hunting cat's body, then stood and cradled her against his chest. They walked back through the parted crowd toward the med center.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Christine worked on Scruffy for over an hour, accompanied by the one veterinarian assigned by the Federation to work at all four colonies on Avalon. He happened to be not far away when he was called back in and quickly scrubbed up and gowned himself to assist.

"I've never seen a hunting cat this close," Dr. Singh said as he shaved and stitched the various wounds. Christine was delicately working on the belly tear. Several loops of intestines had been perforated and contaminated during the fight. She had her teeth clamped together to ward off any tears. She had to be totally professional at this.

"We found her when she was a tiny kitten," Chapel replied. "Spock had to kill her mother when she attacked him and Scruffy was in her pouch. We raised her but elected to leave her behind when we were rescued. She had a mate there and it would have been cruel to pull her out of her native habitat."

Singh nodded, cleansed a wound and began to stitch. Christine picked dirt and grass out of the cat's abdomen, leaning close to see if she had missed anything. The peritoneal cavity had been contaminated in the fight and also had intestinal contents that spilled out. If she didn't get it cleaned thoroughly before she closed up the abdomen, peritonitis would surely result and she wasn't sure Scruffy would survive it.

"I would greatly like to study her and the young werewolf cub that your son has," the veterinarian answered, his eyes locked on the work his hands were doing. The muscle layer stitched, he began to pull the skin together and seal that. "I would also like very much to sit down with the Commander and yourself and your son to discuss in depth all the fauna that you have seen and described. You have more in-depth knowledge of this than anyone else I know."

"Gladly," Christine replied, working diligently and delicately. "When this is all over. I apologize. I need to concentrate right now."

"Of course. It is I who apologize," Singh said and they both said nothing more, except pertaining to the job at hand.

Spock had been standing in the doorway, watching silently. Now he slipped out and went down the hallway to the other treatment room and again quietly watched. Sapel and Maia Hendrickson were working over the anesthetized Joey who lay on the table. He was less injured than Scruffy, but she had managed to get in some telling blows and bites. Most of his injuries had been stitched and bandaged.

Sapel hadn't noticed his father standing outside the room and a good deal of his attention was on the lovely nurse beside him. As she finished the last wound, she sighed and stepped back. "Okay, just let me give him a painkiller. The readings show that our antibiotics ought to work okay on him so I'll give him that and a reversal of the anesthetic. Should we put him in a recovery cage?"

"No, I'm afraid he will go crazy when he wakes up," Sapel replied. "Let's just put him on a blanket and on the floor. I'll sit down here with him and that should soothe him when he comes out of it."

"Okay."

Spock satisfied himself that all was well and went along the hallway until he reached Soran's room. His younger son was sleeping, the small figure looking fragile with his right arm bandaged and the IV in his left arm. Spock sat down in the chair next to the bed and resumed his vigil over the little boy, steepling his fingers to lightly meditate. When he and Christine had gone away on their vacation, he had not foreseen the trauma awaiting them upon their return. He did not like to think how Christine was going to react when she allowed herself to fall apart. He would have to watch over her, as well.

* * *

Maia sat down on the floor next to Sapel, her eyes down so that she was watching the sleeping Joey on his blanket. Sapel, however, was gazing at her, his eyes soft.

"I've missed you," he said quietly. "What have you been doing since I last saw you on Risa?"

"Becoming a nurse, obviously," she replied, looking up so that her green eyes met his brown ones. "I went to school, got interested in health care, and decided to go into nursing. How about you?"

"We moved back to Vulcan and I went to live with my grandparents in ShiKahr so that I could attend the Terran Embassy school," Sapel replied. "I didn't get along much with the Vulcan teachers so that was our compromise. The rest of the family was living at my dad's country estate."

"He has an estate?" The young woman looked surprised. "Why was he in Starfleet then?"

Sapel shrugged. "The adventure, I guess. It's actually pretty boring on Vulcan. I finally couldn't take it anymore and left to join a group of free traders. I was trying to get back here, back to my home planet."

Maia let her gaze slide over Sapel's face, taking in the close-cut black beard and shaggy raven hair. It dawned on her that he was exceptionally handsome, not the teenage boy she had known seven or eight years before. He had grown into an impressive man and she felt a pulse of excitement go through her.

Sapel felt the same pulse and lifted his hand to slide down her cheek. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, not at all the teenager he had met at her parents' resort on Risa. Her light mocha skin glowed with softness, her long black hair tied into a chignon at the back of her neck, and her green eyes fringed with ebon lashes. His body responded with the same throb of excitement he had felt from her.

Without thinking about it, he leaned forward and she met his lips with hers. The kiss was long and fervent, her arms stealing up to go around his neck, even as his arms drew her against him. When they parted, he continued to snuggle and kiss her jaw and throat, murmuring, "Oh, Maia, you can't imagine how much I've missed you. I've needed you so much."

"I should have married you when you asked me," she sighed, loving his caresses.

"We weren't ready," he replied in a whisper, kissing and then lightly licking her ear. "We had a lot of growing up to do."

"Oh, Sapel, I've never stopped loving you!" she said and pulled his face back so that their mouths met again. Their tongues tickled against one another and the heat grew.

A sound and rustle from the blanket drew them back to the present and they broke apart to see Joey coming awake. He writhed in discomfort and confusion, but Sapel immediately bent over the cub and stroked his head.

"It's okay, buddy," he said softly. "You're going to be okay. You're safe now."

The cub blinked sleepily and growled deep in his throat, but it was a friendly growl. He was content with his friend and "mother". Maia reached out tentatively and stroked the striped fur.

"Yes, Joey," she said. "You're safe now. _We_ will take care of you." And she looked up to meet Sapel's gaze, a smile pulling at her rosy lips.

* * *

Spock caught the surge of sorrow as Christine entered their son's hospital room and he rose immediately from the bedside chair to catch her in his arms. His wife buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed, "She's gone, Spock. We lost her."

Holding her close, he stroked her hair and gently pressed her face against his neck. "We knew she didn't have much of a chance," he answered in his soft, deep voice. "You and Dr. Singh did the best that you could." It was that magical voice that soothed her, the deep dark velvet baritone that could send her into heaven or pull her back to earth. Right now, it was wrapping her in softest cotton and making her feel safe and warm.

She pulled back and wiped her face, attempting to smile. "You're right. When I saw how cut up she was inside, I knew the shock and contamination would probably kill her. But _why_ did she jump on Joey? Or was it him that jumped on her?"

"Perhaps both of them attacked each other," Spock suggested. "Once we decided to bring Scruffy back with us, I had wondered how she and Joey would react. Hunting cats are indigenous to the scrub country south of here and the wolves more to our area. Perhaps one species had never seen the other."

"Mama?" said a small voice and they both turned to find Soran awake in his bed and sleepily rubbing his eyes.

Immediately, Christine went to her son, leaning over him. "Hello, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Why are you crying, Mama?" the boy asked.

"Oh, Joey got hurt and it made me a little emotional. But he's going to be alright. Sapel is taking care of him," she smiled.

"What happened?"

"He got into a fight with another animal and got bitten. But he's okay. Now, how are _you_ feeling?

"My arm hurts a little but I feel better. Can I have some food?"

"Positively!" his mother replied. "What would you like?"

"Can I have some pancakes?" the boy asked.

"If I can find some in the cafeteria. In fact, that sounds good. Spock? Are you hungry?"

"I could do with sustenance, as well. Why don't you stay with Soran and I will fetch us food?" the Vulcan asked his wife.

"Sounds good. You need a stretch of your legs and I need some rest. I've been on my feet for quite a while." She laid her hand on Spock's arm and said in a confidential whisper, "We'll talk privately later."

"Agreed, wife." He locked his gaze on her eyes and information passed between them that said much more than he could vocalize in front of their son. Their Bond permitted whole conversations to be transmitted in a long glance. Then he pulled back and asked in a normal voice, "Coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee. Get some juice for Soran." He nodded and was gone. Christine turned back to take the seat that was still warm from Spock's body. "Now, then, young man. When Dr. Brown comes in, we'll see how you're really doing. You might even get to go home today!"

"Yippee!" Soran grinned. "I'm ready to get in my own bed! I'm really tired of this place!"

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

Soran had been carried by his father to their flitter and installed in the back seat, bedded down with a pillow and blankets. His right arm was still bandaged, but otherwise, he was doing good. Christine had quietly followed with a little cryo bag which she put into the boot along with their luggage, carefully placing it securely. Dr. Singh had been allowed to take blood, skin, and other samples from Scruffy's body for study, but Spock had refused his request to keep the hunting cat for autopsy and research. The Vulcan intended to bury their old pet and companion underneath a special tree near the cave in which they had once lived. He had placed his two lost children there, long before their _katras_ had reborn in the bodies of his twin son and daughter.

They had all thanked the people at Beta Colony for their help and hospitality and there was a group there to see them off. Sapel was among them, with Maia Hendrickson by his side.

As they prepared to leave, Spock turned to his son and asked, "Will you be following us soon?"

The young Vulcan slipped his arm around Maia's shoulders and looked down into her beautiful green eyes. "No … I think I'll stay a while," he said. "We've got some catching up to do."

"As I suspected," Spock responded. "In that case, we'll be off. Take care, my son." He held up his right hand in _ta'al_ and said to the girl, "And may you live long and prosper, Miss Hendrickson."

She smiled and answered, "May you do the same, Commander. And you, too, Dr. Chapel."

With that, Spock and Christine slid into the pilot and copilot's seats in the flitter and the crowd stepped back as the anti-gravs started up, lifting the vehicle off the ground. It floated for a moment, then turned east and headed out across the valley toward home.

Watching it go, Sapel squeezed Maia's shoulders and said, "I meant that about having a lot of catching up to do. In more ways than one. I want to hear about everything you've been doing. And I want to tell you all about me. I don't intend to be forced to leave you again, sweetheart, because I love you."

Maia blushed and leaned against him. "I love you, too."

"Let's go get something to eat. I'm starved." Sapel turned her, his arm still around her and they walked back down the main street of Beta toward the cafeteria.

* * *

T'Jenn had secured a channel to the new starbase orbiting Avalon and was talking to the communications officer there. "I'm trying to reach Eddie Running Horse," she told the man.

"Horse? We don't have anyone by that name."

"No, _Running_ Horse," Jenny answered. "He's part of the construction crew. Could he be working on the exterior right now? Will he be back later?"

The comm officer said, "Hmmm… Let me check, but the construction crews are gone."

"What? No, he told me he'd be back at Alpha Colony but he hasn't shown up. I need to reach him."

"Running Horse … Edward … Unit 51…" The man hemmed and hawed for another moment, evidently checking his records. "Nope. That unit shipped out two weeks ago, ma'am. They're on their way to the next construction job."

"No!" Jenny insisted, growing frantic. "He wouldn't leave without contacting me! Where are they going? When will they be back?"

"Not coming back, as far as I know," the officer answered. "They've finished up their work here and the only construction going on is interior."

"Well, how can I get in touch with him?! It's urgent!"

"I can forward a message, but whether he gets it and answers is up to him." The man was beginning to sound a bit more sympathetic.

"Well … um … forward this message. 'Contact T'Jenn t'cha Spock at first opportunity. Emergency.'"

"Will do," the comm officer replied. "Is that all?"

Jenny was beginning to feel a bit faint. "Yes, that's all. Thank you. Out."

The young woman cut the channel and sat back in her chair, placing a hand on her stomach and feeling her queasiness grow.

THE END


End file.
